Organizations often focus on the importance of teamwork. But rarely do set aside resources to invest in team training. Sure, they talk about teambuilding but that’s something different.
Dr. Eduardo Salas
Last year, during the SHRM Annual Conference, I had the opportunity to hear a special session on team training, led by Dr. Eduardo Salas. He is the Trustee Chair and Pegasus Professor of Psychology at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Dr. Salas received the 2012 Michael R. Losey Award from the Society for Human Resources Management for his contributions toward understanding teams, groups and training effectiveness. He is the author of the book, “Developing and Enhancing Teamwork in Organizations: Evidence-Based Best Practices and Guidelines”.
According to Dr. Salas, companies that provide team training can see as much as a 20% increase in team performance. This compares to activities like teambuilding, which are still important but do not have the same impact on team performance.